Monday, March 30, 2009

Hizzoner does it again

As Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien stumbles and bumbles his way to what might prove to be his personal finish line--his criminal trial in May on charges of influence-peddling--he's now in the news again over an up-coming military trade show coming to our town on May 27.

Such death-and-destruction fairs are not supposed to happen on City of Ottawa premises. In 1989, after major opposition to a similar show culminated in a mass demonstration and 117 arrests, City Council voted to ban all such events in municipal facilities. But some legal sleight-of-hand was performed by a City of Ottawa lawyer to let the show go on.

It's taking place in Lansdowne Park, which was sold to the former regional government in 1999--a different jurisdiction in which the ban didn't apply. But the facility reverted to the City of Ottawa again when regional government was later abolished. You'd think it would once again come under the same policy that applies in the rest of Ottawa's current jurisdiction, but not according to the legal opinion sought and received by the Mayor.

I think we need a second opinion. But in any case, another issue has now come to light. It appears that the Mayor's own company, Calian, from which he still draws a hefty salary, will be exhibiting its wares at the show!

Conflict of interest? No way, huffs the Mayor. But his gadfly critics at zeromeanszero.com nail O'Brien's pretence here (scroll down a bit).

Hey, don't blame me--I didn't vote for him. But these days, I bet, not too many folks are willing to say they did.